Shane Black talks Doc Savage casting

"We need someone big"

Shane Black has been discussing his upcoming adaptation of Doc Savage , describing what we can expect from the character, and the challenges posed by the casting process.

"Obviously in the books there’s an element of ‘goody goody’ that we like," says Black. "But we needed something more, so we beefed up the sort of rationale behind what it would take to be a perfect person and to be trained as such from childhood and how that would scar someone."

As for who might play the title role, Black isn't certain, although he does have a checklist of physical attributes that any prospective star would have to measure up to…

"Here’s the problem," explains Black, "they kind of gotta be tall. He’s the perfect physical specimen and when people look at him, they’re overawed by the sort of symmetry and perfection that he exudes."

"I don’t know that you could use, like, James McAvoy as Doc Savage. You couldn’t do it. He’s a fine actor, but we need someone big. Back in the day Schwarzenegger was talked about to play Doc Savage. I don’t know who we’d get."

One to watch then, although if you fancy a flutter, Black seemed very amenable to the idea of Chris Hemsworth, reacting to the suggestion by replying: "that's not a bad idea… what's he doing?"